Archive for MG Authors

A little over a month ago Disney-Hyperion Books released John Claude Bemis’s 5th book for middle grade readers. It’s called The Wooden Prince, first book in a series called Out of Abaton. (Read the first chapter here.) John, whom I first met when I took his week-long session at Table Rock Writers Workshop in 2014, stopped by The Writer’s Desk to talk about his latest book.

Kindred Spirit Author: Thanks for stopping by The Writer’s Desk, John. Tell us about your new book.

John ClaudeBemis: The Wooden Prince is a re-imagining of the Pinocchio story set in an alternate history Venetian Empire where alchemists have taken the designs of Leonardo Da Vinci to create extraordinary machines, including wooden robots called automa that are used as servants and soldiers throughout the Empire. Pinocchio is one of them. After Pinocchio is delivered to a new master—a wanted criminal and alchemist named Geppetto—Pinocchio discovers he’s coming to life. What I think readers will have fun with is figuring out why he’s changing into a living boy. And I think readers will have fun discovering the world of this book. The Venetian Empire I’ve created is a fantastical place where soldiers with mechanical wings patrol the skies. Half-beast outlaws roam the countryside. Theaters pit automa against one another in gladiator battle. So lots of exciting fantasy adventure.

KSA: Why did you decide to retell the Pinocchio story?

JCB: I’ve always been fascinated by Pinocchio as this wooden puppet who comes to life. The whole world is so new to him. Everything around Pinocchio ignites him with curiosity and wonder. For someone made of wood, he’s vibrantly alive. He wrestles with important questions like: Who am I? What does it mean to be a friend? Or a son? Or a hero? At first I was playing with a story about Pinocchio as a robot, something more science fiction. But then after a trip to Italy, I began to imagine a story where Pinocchio is still essentially a robot, but a robot who might have been built in Renaissance Italy in a world that is both old and futuristic.

KSA: What do you enjoy about writing for this age group?

JCB: Kids don’t just love great stories; they love great storytelling. You have to captivate them with exciting plots and with characters who are full of courage, cleverness, and heart. I love how kids have no tolerance for boring stuff. It keeps me having to work all the harder. Young readers get immersed in the world of a book much more deeply than we do as adults. They get engrossed, absorbed, and down-right obsessed with stories they love. I love the passion they bring for reading. They’re the best fans to have.

KSA: I’m sure you get fan mail from young readers. What are they telling you?

JCB: Nothing thrills me more than when a young reader tells me they weren’t a big reader until they read my books. I was a voracious reader as a kid, but not all kids are. My mission is to get them excited about books. And about writing. It’s wonderful when young fans share stories they’re working on, sometimes using my characters and story worlds even. I’m honored when young fans tell me they want to be a writer one day.

KSA: What’s been the most rewarding thing that’s happened to you since your first books came out?

JCB: So many things, especially getting to meet young readers who have enjoyed my books. Nothing beats that. Also I was honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Education for my work as an author-educator in the schools around the state. It wasn’t so much the award or the recognition as knowing that my presentations have made a difference to the students I visit. In my heart, I’m first and foremost an educator. I feel passionately about the tremendous work teachers are doing for our kids and our communities. So I’m thrilled that educators feel my role in the schools has made a difference.

KSA: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

JCB: I didn’t grow up imagining I’d be a writer one day. As a kid, I devoured books and enjoyed using my imagination to make up stories. But I went to college to become a teacher—in large part, because of how much I wanted to get kids excited about stories and reading. I taught for 13 years. It was during this time in the classroom that I first got serious about writing stories that I hoped one day my students would read. I’m lucky enough now that I’m able to do it as my full time job. I do miss teaching, but getting to visit schools and work with young people has helped. So if you’d have asked me twenty years ago if I’d be writing as a career, I’d have thought you were crazy.

KSA: What is your writing process? Do you have a particular time and place to write?

JCB: I work at home and commit myself to writing every day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (while my daughter is at school). Unless, of course, I’m visiting a school or have other promotional work to do. I try not to check email or get caught up doing anything else distracting during this work time. However, I’ll often take long hikes during the work day. That’s part of my writing process: simply having time to think and dream and work out story ideas. It all depends on where I am in the process of creating a story, whether I’m planning a new story, getting down a first draft, revising, etc. But my writing process might be devoting many hours at the laptop or spending time walking and working things out in my imagination. Both take a lot of discipline.

KSA: Do you ever sit down to write, but you just don’t have any ideas or you are stuck on what to write next? How do get over that feeling? That’s where the walking is important. I’ve found that doing a mindless and even boring activity (it could also be washing dishes, folding clothes, doing exercise) is a great way to get my thoughts deep in the world of my story. There’s something about movement that activates creativity for me. So if I ever feel writer’s block, my go-to solution is taking a long hike in the woods. I always keep a little notebook in my back pocket. You wouldn’t believe how many of these notebooks I’ve filled up.

KSA: Before The Wooden Prince, you’ve had four middle-grade novels published—a trilogy and a stand-alone. Can you tell us a little about them?

JCB: The Clockwork Dark trilogy is an epic fantasy built on American legend and history. The books, which begin with The Nine Pound Hammer, follow a group of performers in a traveling show who must pit their various talents and magical powers against a being of ancient evil who has risen up in 1890s America. My novel The Prince Who Fell from the Sky takes place in a future Earth where humans seem gone, until a bear discovers a human boy whose spacecraft has crashed in her forest. It becomes a bit of a post-apocalyptic Jungle Book with the bear trying to protect the boy from the wolves who rule the forest, wolves who aren’t happy that humans might be returning.

KSA: What have you been reading lately?

JCB: The Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde. All amazing! I read a lot of Middle Grade and YA fantasy adventure. Some writers don’t like to read in the genre they write, but those are the books I adore the most. They remind me of why I’m passionate about creating the types of stories I do. I also read other genres, and often have a nonfiction book going while I’m reading a fiction title. Lately I’ve been reading some historical nonfiction like David McCullough’s The Wright Brothers and Joseph J. Ellis’s Quartet.

KSA: What advice do you have for young people who want to be writers?

JCB: Take the things you are passionate about and find ways to work them into your stories. So you’re fascinated by Ancient Egypt and space travel? How can you put those two things (that don’t seem like they go together) into an interesting story idea we’ve never seen before? Each of us has a unique combination of interests. When we bring our unique combination of passions into our stories, we can write the book that nobody else would possible write. Like with all dreams, if you want to be a published author one day, it takes putting in lots of practice. Malcolm Gladwell found in his book Outliers that people master a field when they devote ten-thousand hours to doing it. So get writing. And make sure you have fun in the process.

KSA: Do you ever give talks or presentations to the public? Do you have anything coming up soon?

JCB: I was a touring musician for many years. So I have fun getting up on stage. I’ve tried to work that performance aspect into my book presentations. I’ll be doing lots of readings at book stores and festivals when The Wooden Prince comes out. Check out my website or follow me on Facebook to find out where I’ll be. In particular, I’m excited for the big launch party I’ll put on for The Wooden Prince on Saturday April 9th in my hometown of Hillsborough, NC. I involve a lot of local kids to help me with music and skits. Come if you can. It’ll be loads of fun! [Note: My sincere apologies to JCB for not writing this blog post before his book launch party; life just got in the way.]

KSA: Finally, I wonder if you&#39;d share a writing prompt for aspiring young writers?

JCB: “One day, you wake up and the house is empty. Everyone else’s bed is made, but there is no sign of where they’ve gone. . .”

An inspiring speaker and entertaining performer, John Claude Bemis brings his passions for music, folklore, and spinning exciting tales to his novels and presentations. The first novel in his Clockwork Dark trilogy, The Nine Pound Hammer, was nominated for the North Carolina Children’s Book Award and was selected as a New York Public Library Best Children’s Book for Reading and Sharing. The trilogy continues with The Wolf Tree and The White City and has been described as “original and fresh” and “a unique way of creating fantasy.” A musician and educator, John lives with his wife and daughter in Hillsborough, NC. The Wooden Prince and John’s other books are available in bookstores everywhere or online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Most readers probably think that their favorite authors spend all their time alone behind a computer, typing away and drinking prodigious amounts of coffee. While we do that, most of us find networking with other authors and belonging to writers’ groups to be beneficial. That used to happen in person only, but more and more, writers are finding each other and networking online.

I met Pamela Witte last year via a Facebook group called A Path to Publishing. Several of us who were working on YA novels formed a critique group—also online—where we share feedback on each others’ manuscripts. Since then, Pamela has published her first middle grades novel, Jet Lee: Dragon Warrior. Pamela stopped by The Writer’s Desk to talk about her book.

Kindred Spirit Author: Thanks for stopping by The Writer’s Desk today, Pamela. You’ve just published your first middle grade novel. Tell us about Jet Lee: Dragon Warrior!Pamela Witte: JET LEE DRAGON WARRIOR is an awesome reluctant reader designed for kids ages 8-12 who get intimidated by complex plots and humungous words. It is a fast-paced action adventure that even parents will love, and it makes a terrific read-aloud. It’s lightly illustrated by an amazing, young media artist, Laurie Tisdale who really nails the characters and action!

Here is the blurb on the book jacket: Born in the year, month, day and hour of the dragon, JET LEE DRAGON WARRIOR, is destined for karate-kicking greatness. Too bad he’s such a loser. Bullied on a daily basis and working in the Wu’s fish shop to earn his allowance, twelve-year-old Jet thinks things can’t get worse—he learns how wrong he is, when a beast-man attacks his mom and vows to take over New York City.
Saving the city is tough for anybody, but it’s nearly impossible when you’re in sixth grade. Bullies, detention, principals and girls… friends keep getting in the way. It’s a whirlwind week of subway chases, demon spit and samurai swords and time’s running out.
Jet must connect with his mysterious inner animal before Friday’s field trip to save his friends, family and the world.

KSA: Where did the idea for the book come from?

PW: I was in the dojo with my kids. We were all working on our Karate belts. I was pretty new to the sport and was preparing to test for my yellow belt. The dojo was filled with cool martial art stuff— weapons, posters of Bruce Lee, books, and lots of kids kicking and shouting Kiai! I fell in love with the kids, the athletic process, and the idea of kicking butt. However, I knew the only butt worth kicking had to be the evil kind. Around the time I thought about evil butt, I realized I wanted to write a book. While at an SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conference I fell in love with NYC and China Town. I had a butt-kicking idea and an amazing location. All I needed were characters. Evil demons soon arrived in a dream along with Jet Lee’s sidekicks Jimmy, Uly and Cordy.

KSA: You decided to publish independently. Why did you choose this route, and how has this experience been?

PW: I’ve been working as an author advocate for quite a while, always taking stock of how new authors were being published. Recently, I was struck by the amazing phenomena that had become self-publishing and e-publishing. For the longest time the concept had been a murky, ambiguous way for authors to get their words out. Now it’s plausible and popular. I thought of Jet Lee, who had been stuck away in my computer because an editor friend had said that as a reluctant reader, it would be difficult to market, and knew I had project brewing. Knowing that any project worth doing is worth doing right, I decided to approach e-publishing with an ALL IN attitude and I’ve really enjoyed the experience. I’ve learned tons about the process and even conquered many aspects of social media necessary for self-promotion. The project led me to new friends and amazing advocates!

KSA: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

PW: MOST DEFINITELY I have a very active imagination and I’ve always loved making up stories. The crazier the better! Sadly, I learned that my writing wasn’t as mesmerizing as my storytelling. I needed to educate myself! I needed to learn the art of crafting a great story, the complexity of plotting, developing wonderful voices and how to put it all on paper. So, I began taking classes whenever and wherever I could. I began networking with writers and editors. It has been a winding road, but all of my efforts to learn the craft of writing have been worth it because I totally LOVE it.

KSA: What’s your writing process? Do you have a particular time and place that you write?

PW: I have a particular place, my desk in my office overlooking the meadow and mountains that make up my backyard. Time? I write whenever I can, and that’s not always consistent. My process is mostly— sit at the keyboard and let my characters lead the way. My characters always have big voices, great ideas and elaborate plans. It takes me hours upon hours to work my way through them because they come flooding out of my brain like a tidal wave. So, when I’m in story mode, I write a lot. Then, I edit out the ideas and plans that don’t work (there’s usually lots). My process is a journey for myself and my characters. My characters are usually very talkative, day and night so I write whenever they speak.

KSA:What do you like to read?

PW: I like to read everything, but deep-down, I’m a kid who hasn’t grown up, so I especially like to read kids books. All kinds. MG, YA, picture books, you name it. The stories I love most are big adventures set in cool locations. Bonus points if they are filled with incredible action and mystery!

KSA: What advice do you have for kids who want to be writers?

PW: Read lots of books, observe life around you and write, write, write, Anything and Everything! Keep a journal. Take note of the good, the bad, the funny, the gross, the happy and the sad stuff. You can find inspiration everywhere, on the bus, in school, at soccer practice, even at the mall! When you read books, get in touch with their elements, setting, characters, problems, and solutions so you really understand the structure—the bones or roadmaps of how they’re written. Join up with other kids who love to write. Write for anything and anyone, blogs, school newspapers or even your local paper. Check out kid’s writing blogs and websites (there are lots of great ones. I really recommend Kids Are Writers. Honestly, if you want to write, just do it!

KS: Finally, if you could give a writing prompt to a young aspiring writer, what would it be?

PW: Oh gosh… there are so many wonderful choices! Here’s a fun one I use when my creativity is blocked. Take a look at some recent photos; they can be from a photo album or from your phone (or mom or dad’s phones). Phone photos are usually pretty fun and spontaneous, so I like to use those. Pick one with people in it. Then, change the location, change the names and add an exciting element like placing it in outer space or on a deserted island or sometime in the future. Think up a conflict for the characters, maybe they are out of food, or can’t find the bathroom… then, let the story unfold!

PAMELA K WITTE is the author of the debut novel Jet Lee Dragon Warrior, a thrilling, magical, action adventure for middle grade readers who love karate-kicking excitement and all around ninja awesomeness.

A former psychiatric nurse and adrenalin junkie, Pamela is really a thrill-seeking kid who never grew up. She enjoys skiing (is a professional instructor), martial arts, yoga, hiking, sailing, exploring and spending time with her husband and two children. She lives and writes in a cabin in the middle of the woods in southeastern New Mexico.

Visit Pamela Witte to learn more about Dragon Warriors and the mystical powers of friendship, and check out Jet Lee’s Facebook page. Pamela Witte’s author advocate blog can be found here.Jet Lee Dragon Warrior is available for purchase on Amazon.